ML19207A147

Requests NRC Immediately Stop Const Until Design Changes Are Made

ML19207A147
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	04/01/1979
From:	Weinhold E AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
To:	Bradford P, Gilinski V, Kennedy R NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
References
FOIA-79-98 NUDOCS 7905300336
Download: ML19207A147 (3)

Text

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.. ~ -7.J ., j j y -t 6.--..., , . , ., 4 . . ..9 , n d,~~3 Godfrey Avenue Hampran, :! H C3342

ce , ', 6 April 1, 1979 L c. .... , Victor Gilincky, Coccissioner Richard I. Kennedy, Cctaicsioicr

.-r-Dhv t Ib1E/uS Peter is. Bradford, Ccamiscicner Qg (1-;: 'U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Coccicsien

,, c e_e 0 ,Q23 Vashington, D.C. 20555 Q 7 Re: In the uatter of Public Service Company of New Hampshire (Seabrook Station, Units i i 2 )

Docket Nos.. 50-443 & 50-444 Gentlemen:

In view of the fact that an accident has cocurred at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Facility, that the same Un'ited En-gineering Corporation will be building the Seabrook'nucleaf units, and that the Nuclear Re6ulatory Cocriscion recently shutdown five nuclear facilities to re-analize the piping sysleas ability to withstand stress from earthquakes, I as a General Intervenor of record in uhe above referenced matter, respectfully request that the I!uclear Regulatory Cornission IICEDIATELY STOP CCUSTRUCTICII 0F THE SEAER00K UNITS until the following desi n changes are made:

C 1.) That the Seabrcok units be re-designed tn,vithstand an Intensity 9 not Intensity 8 earth tremer in order to allow

,'for a conservative margin of error.'

'At present, the unita are designed for Intensity 8 (codified

--mercalli scale ) and both the M.R.C. Staff and the Public Service Company of I!ew Hampshire have agreed that an Intensity 8 carth-quake occurred near the Seabrock site and could be expected to occur there in the future life tice of the nuclear units.

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>--*-..page two.2. ) That the "cmergency baby cooline tower" which is to be used as a backup emergency cooling system, chould be designed to withstand an Intensity 10 not Intensity 8 earth tremor 4 At present, the " baby cooling tower" is only designed to uithstand an Intensity 8 earth tremor -- the same as the reactor units.

So, if an Intensity 8 earth tremor damages the reactor piping system or the coaling tunnels - or both-why isn 't it conceivable that it would damage the tower.

3.)That the three mile long COOLING TUNIGLS be re-designed to withstand an Intensity 9 not Intensity 5 earthquake.

At present, they are only designed to withstand Intensity 5 earth tremors and history has shown that Seabrook is part of a seismically active region where nucerous Intensity 5 and larger earth tremors have occurred quite frequently.

Support of seismic activity can be found in the Bulle tins issued by the Northeastern U.S. Seismic Network - Ecston Collcge.

All of the above issues were argued at the N.R.C. Seabrock Hearings but they were considered insignificant and'Omerelevant s by the Staff,.. Utility and Licensing Board.

2-f Then, in June 1976, your agency issued an Amend =ent to

__,[theN.R.C. Rules &Regulationsgoverningceismicdesigncriteria which states in part...." the largest earthquake to have been historicallyr[portedataproposednuclearsiteshouldbe considered othe :IIIIIIIUII no t the maxinum seismic design criteria for all future nuclear units. . . . . . ".So the question arises, if future nuclear units are tn eno a v a,o.t n s3_ . . ..e--w eg

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.have a more censervative scis=ic design to allcu i'or a cargi .

of error, why not Seabrook?

It is still ty opinier, now suppcrted by recent dcvelopments, that the Scabredk Units wf.11 be UIISAFE cnd a HAZARD to humans and the environnent.

If Sea'.;rcok is built as presently designed, we here in IIew Hampshire, could be part of the first people to expericnce

-a completc " core celtdown ".

/Very cordially yours, b ik4%..Okt -bhf--Eliz?-abe th H . 'deinhold (General Intervenor-Seabrock Licensing Hearings )

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